St. Peter, Minn. – Gustavus Adolphus seniors Ben Biewen (Sr., Edina, Minn.) and Jim Hill (Sr., Edina, Minn.) have been named to the 2012-13 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team.  The former Edina High School standouts become the second high school teammate duo to receive the honor together in the past five years.  The last tandem to do so was Eastview’s pair of Zach Johnson (Carleton) and B.J. Viau (St. Thomas) in 2008-09.

With the announcement, Ben Biewen earns All-Conference honors for the first time in his career after being named to the MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention team last season.  The senior was second on the team in scoring with 350 points, and also grabbed 92 rebounds, dished out 82 assists, and recorded 45 steals.  Those figures gave him an average of 14.6 points (7th/MIAC), 3.8 rebounds (2nd/team), 3.4 assists (6th/MIAC), and 1.9 steals (5th/MIAC) per game this season.  His 45 steals aided in landing him on the All-Defensive team for the first time in his tenure wearing the Black and Gold.

Biewen was also named to the MIAC All-Defensive team. (Photo courtesy of A.J. Dahm – Sport Pix Photography).

The Edina native was also one of Gustavus’ most efficient scorers this season, shooting .516 from the field (15th/MIAC), .403 from the three-point line (8th/MIAC), and .851 at the free throw line (4th/MIAC).  A senior captain, Biewen capped off his trio of honors by being named to the All-Sportsmanship team.  Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.

For his career, Biewen played in 102 games, finishing with 757 points (7.4 ppg), 217 rebounds (2.1 rbg), 206 assists (2.0 apg), and 105 steals.  He shot .462 (254-550) from the floor, .358 (58-162) from three, and .853 (191-224) from the line.

After being dubbed the MIAC Sixth Man-of-the-Year last season, Jim Hill solidified his spot on the 2012-13 MIAC All-Conference team for the first time in his collegiate career after starting every game for Gustavus this season.  Hill led the Gusties in scoring with 375 points and an average of 15.6 points per game, which ranked sixth in the MIAC.

Jim Hill earned his first selection to the MIAC All-Conference team. (Photo Courtesy of A.J. Dahm – Sport Pix Photography)

The senior captain also led the team in rebounding after swiping 111 rebounds (4.6 rpg).  He shot .483 (140-290) from the floor and .796 (78-98) from the charity stripe, which ranked 19th and sixth in the MIAC, respectively.  Hill finished the season with a career-high three double-doubles, the most in a single season since Trevor Wittwer `08 notched four double-doubles in the 2007-08 season.  Hill finished with five double-doubles in his career.

In his four years donning the Three Crowns, Hill played in 91 games, scored 886 points (9.7 ppg) and pulled down 326 rebounds (3.6 rpg).  The Edina native was a career .444 (335-755) shooter from the field, including a .343 (62-181) mark from three-point range, and made .748 (154-206) of his free throws.

The Gusties finished the 2012-13 season with a record of 13-11 overall, 10-9 MIAC.

MIAC Release

Ben Biewen paced the Gusties with 19 points.

Moorhead, Minn. – Faced with a chance to secure a spot in the MIAC Playoffs with a win, the Gustavus men’s basketball team came away with a 69-62 loss at the hands of No. 2-seeded Concordia on Saturday afternoon.  With wins from Bethel, Carleton, and Saint John’s, the Gusties will not make the six-team playoff field, thus concluding their season 13-11 (11-9 MIAC).  Concordia improves to 18-7 (15-5 MIAC).

Gustavus got off to the start it was looking for in the first five-plus minutes of the contest.  The Gusties shot out to a 12-3 lead on a jumper from Chad Poppen (Fr., St. Peter, Minn.) just 5:31 into the opening half.  Concordia came back to tie the game up on back-to-back baskets from Andrew Martinson at the 5:51 mark and the score 20-20.

The Cobbers continued on to take a 31-30 lead into halftime.  Although Gustavus shot 42.3-percent (11-26) compared to 37.5-percent (12-32) for Concordia, the Cobbers made 4-of-8 three-point tries while the Gusites went 0-for-4 from three-point land.

The two teams went back-and-forth in the early minutes of the second half before Concordia extended its lead to seven points with the score 50-43 and 8:19 remaining.  Gustavus cut the lead to one point with 5:21 remaining.  Jim Hill (Sr., Edina, Minn.) converted a layup to bring the score to 52-51.

From there, Concordia pushed its lead back to six on a pair of Ebo Nana-Kweson free throws with 1:42 to play.  Ben Biewen (Sr., Edina, Minn.) knocked down a triple on the ensuing possession to cut the lead back to three points with a score of 63-60.

The Gusties got the miss they needed on the next Cobber possession, but an offensive rebound and put-back proved to be the back-breaker as Concordia scored on each of its final two possessions to seal the seven-point win with a final score of 69-62.

Ben Biewen led the Gusties in scoring with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor.  Biewen also went 4-for-4 from the free throw line.  Jim Hill came next with 12 points and Isaac Tapp (So., Stewartville, Minn.) was the third and final Gustavus player in double-figures with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting.

Ebo Nana-Kweson and Andrew Martinson led Concordia in scoring with 13 points each.  Nana-Kweson also added six assists and four rebounds.  Dewon McKenzie was the only other Cobber to finish in double-figure scoring with 11 points.   Scott Flotterud came off the bench to provide eight points and 10 rebounds as well.

With the loss and wins by Bethel, Carleton, and Saint John’s, the Gusties will not receive a bid to the MIAC Playoffs.  Gustavus concludes its season with a record of 13-11 (11-9 MIAC).

Box Score

St. Peter, Minn. - The Gustavus men’s basketball team will make the trek to Moorhead, Minn. for an MIAC match-up with Concordia on Saturday afternoon. The Gusties have a chance to punch their ticket to the MIAC Playoffs with a win. Meanwhile, the Cobbers have solidified the second seed in the playoff field. Gustavus enters the contest with a record of 13-10 (11-8 MIAC) while Concordia posts a record of 17-7 (14-5 MIAC). The men’s game will be the second of a two-game men-women double-header on Saturday. The opening tip for the women’s game is set for 1:00 p.m. with the men immediately to follow.

Game Notes

Gustavus Game Notes

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Jordan Dick was the lone Gustie to score in double-figures with 13 points.

Northfield, Minn. - It took 12 lead changes and eight ties before the Gustavus men’s basketball team finally emerged victorious over Carleton on Wednesday night.  In a game that featured no more than a six-point lead for either team, the Gusties converted a layup with :17 seconds to go to take the final lead of the game with a 53-52 advantage.  However, things got interesting when a foul on the ensuing possession sent Carleton’s Taylor Hanson to the free-throw line with just :02 ticks remaining.  Hanson missed both free throws and the Knights were forced to foul.  Gustavus went one-for-two from the line and put the lid on the 54-52 victory.  With the win, Gustavus improves to 13-10 (11-8 MIAC) while Carleton falls to 14-10 (11-8 MIAC).

In a tightly contested first half, the Gusties were able to open their largest lead of the game at six points on an Isaac Tapp (So., Stewartville, Minn.) three-pointer at the 6:17 mark.  Gustavus would end up taking a one-point (28-27) lead into halftime after shooting just 38.7-percent (12-31) from the floor compared to a 46.2-percent (12-26) clip for Carleton in the opening frame.

Taylor Hanson converted a layup on the opening possession of the second half for the Knights to take a 29-28 lead just :07 seconds in.  What ensued was a mimic of the game “tug-of-war.”  Back-and-forth the two teams went, taking their turn holding the lead.  After seven lead changes and four ties in the final frame, the Gusties took the lead one final time with :17 seconds remaining.

A Jim Hill (Sr., Edina, Minn.) layup gave the Gustie men a 53-52 lead.  However, a Gustavus foul with :02 seconds left sent Carleton’s Hanson to the free-throw line for two shots with a chance to win.  He missed both chances, however, and the Knights were forced to foul Gustavus’ Ben Biewen (Sr., Edina, Minn.).  After making the front end of the bonus one-and-one, Biewen missed the second toss, which disallowed any chance Carelton had of putting up another shot before the final buzzer and left the final score at 54-52.

Jordan Dick (Jr., Wabasha, Minn.) led the Gusties in scoring on the night.  Dick was the only Gustavus player to score in double-figures with a career-high 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting, which included a 3-for-5 mark from downtown, and also brought down six rebounds.  Hill, Tapp, and Biewen all netted nine points while Brody Ziegler (Fr., Mankato, Minn.) came off the bench to provide seven points and nine rebounds.

A trio of Knights scored in double-figures, led by Scott Theisen.  Theisen scored 13 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists.  Tom Sawatzke followed Theisen with 12 points and six rebounds.  Taylor Hanson was the final Knight in double-figures with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Following the win tonight, Gustavus keeps its playoff hopes alive.  With a win over Concordia on Saturday, the Gusties would solidify their place in the MIAC Playoffs.  Saturday’s match-up is set for a 3:00 p.m. opening tip following the women’s game at 1:00 p.m. in Moorhead, Minn.

Box Score

St. Peter, Minn. - The Gustavus men’s basketball team is set to travel to Northfield, Minn. for an MIAC match-up with Carleton on Wednesday night. The Gusties will be back on the floor for the first time since a week ago when they suffered a 68-63 loss to No. 1 St. Thomas in St. Peter. Gustavus posts a 12-10 (10-8 MIAC) record on the year while Carleton enters with a record of 14-9 (11-7 MIAC). Wednesday’s opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

Game Notes

Gustavus vs. Carleton Game Notes

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Ben Biewen drives past St. Thomas' John Nance. Biewen finished with 14 points and four assists on the night. (Photo courtesy of A.J. Dahm - Sport Pix).

Ben Biewen drives past St. Thomas' John Nance. Biewen finished with 14 points and four assists on the night. (Photo courtesy of A.J. Dahm - Sport Pix).

St. Peter, Minn. – Following a 68-63 loss to the University of St. Thomas, Gustavus head men’s basketball coach Mark Hanson said it best with his comment, “It was a battle.”  The Gusties stood toe-to-toe with the No. 1-ranked Tommies throughout, but a 25-5 run to open the second half for St. Thomas proved to be too much for the Black and Gold as the Tommies escaped with the five-point victory.  Gustavus drops to 12-10 (10-8 MIAC) while St. Thomas improves to 22-1 (17-1 MIAC).

Like two heavyweight fighters in a boxing ring, the two teams went back-and-forth in the first half.  For every field goal, there was an answer.  For every turnover, there was a steal on the other end.  Both teams played tough, physical, scrappy, and aggressive in the first 20 minutes of play.  Neither team could hold a lead of more than five points until Chad Poppen (Fr., St. Peter, Minn.) knocked down a three-pointer from the baseline with 1:27 to play in the opening half to push the score to 33-27 in favor of the Gusties.

After a back-and-forth first half, St. Thomas came out on fire in the second frame.  The Tommies exploded on a 25-5 run to begin the last 20 minutes that opened up a 14-point lead with a score of 52-38.  St. Thomas’ Will DeBerg played the role of bookend in the run.  The senior opened the surge with a three-pointer from the wing and capped off the run with a deep three from beyond NBA range at the top of the key.  In between, DeBerg hit three more triples and added a layup for a total of 17 points in the opening 5:29 of the final frame.

Sophomore Isaac Tapp scored seven points on the night.

The two teams then traded baskets for the next two minutes until the Gusties began to chip away at the Tommie lead.  Jim Hill (Sr., Edina, Minn.) scored back-to-back baskets to cut the deficit to nine points (56-47) with 11:16 to go and the comeback was on.  A three-point basket by Ben Biewen (Sr., Edina, Minn.) with 2:23 remaining cut the lead to three points with the score 64-61.

However, the Tommies got an inside basket from Tommy Hannon that all but put the game out of reach with :38 seconds remaining.  After a layup on the next possession, the Gusties were forced to foul and DeBerg made both free throws to seal the 68-63 victory.

“We threw the ball away a little bit in the first five minutes of the second half and DeBerg knocked down some threes,” acknowledged Coach Hanson.  “They are a good team and good teams go on runs like that.  It was too big of a run for us to handle in the scope of the whole game, but I felt like our guys battled.  We made it a one-possession game that unfortunately didn’t go our way.”

For the game, Gustavus shot 48.2-percent (27-56) from the floor and 42.9-percent (6-14) from three-point range compared to 50.9-percent (27-53) and 47.1-percent (8-17), respectively, for St. Thomas.  The Gusties did, however, hold the rebounding advantage.  They outrebounded the Tommies 33-26 on the night.

Gustavus was led in scoring by Jim Hill, who notched his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  Ben Biewen dropped in 14 points and Jordan Dick (Jr., Wabasha, Minn.) added 11 on 5-for-7 shooting from the flield.

Although on touring break, the Gustavus student section still supported its beloved Gusties.

Will DeBerg led the way for St. Thomas in scoring with 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the floor, which included a 5-for-11 mark from deep.  John Nance was the only other Tommie to score in double-figures with 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

Wednesday night also marked Senior Night at Gus Young Court.  Four seniors played their final regular season home game in a Gustie uniform.  A special tribute was made before the game to these individuals who have dedicated themselves to the Gustavus men’s basketball program for the past four years. The Athletic Department would like to extend a sincere thank you to seniors Ben Biewen, Jim Hill, Reed Sallstrom (Sr., Winthrop, Minn.), and Blake Shay (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.).

“They are a special group of young men,” mentioned Hanson.  “They are special because of who they are, not just because they are good basketball players.  They have great personalities, they have worked hard, they have cared about this program, their teammates, and each other.  They have done everything we have asked them to do and it has been a joy to coach them.  Hopefully we get to coach them for more than just two more games.”

The Gusties will now have a week off before they return to action Wednesday, Feb. 13th against Carleton.  That game is set for a 7:30 p.m. opening tip in Northfield.

Box Score 

Photo Gallery

Seniors Ben Biewen (20), Jim Hill (5), Blake Shay (43), and Reed Sallstrom (40).

Seniors Ben Biewen (20), Jim Hill (5), Blake Shay (43), and Reed Sallstrom (40).

Seniors Ben Biewen (20), Jim Hill (5), Blake Shay (43), and Reed Sallstrom (40).

St. Peter, Minn. - The Gustavus men’s basketball team will host No.1 St. Thomas on Senior Night at Gus Young Court on Wednesday, Feb. 6th.  The Gusties will look to keep their three-game win-streak alive against the Tommies, who enter Wednesday’s contest with a record of 21-1 (16-1 MIAC).  The Gusties, meanwhile, come into the match-up with a record of 12-9 (10-7 MIAC) and currently sit in fourth place in the MIAC standings.  Wednesday night’s opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

Game Notes

Gustavus vs. St. Thomas Game Notes

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Fans can also follow all of the action on AM 860 KNUJ.  Tom Wheeler will have the call.

Blake Shay came off the bench to lead the Gusties in scoring with 16 points.

St. Paul, Minn. - After taking a six-point lead (34-28) into halftime, the Gustavus men’s basketball team began the second half with a 13-6 run and would not look back on its way to a 74-49 win over Macalester on Monday night.  The Gusties would lead by as many as 27 points in the final frame before settling for the 25-point victory.  The Gustie men forced 20 Scot turnovers, 11 of which came in the second half, compared to just seven of their own.  Gustavus cashed in on those takeaways to hold a 30-7 advantage in the points off turnovers category.  With the win, Gustavus improves to 12-9 (10-7 MIAC).  Meanwhile, Macalester drops to 4-17 (1-15 MIAC).

Macalester bolted out of the gate with the first seven points of the game.  Gustavus did not score for the first four minutes of the game until Ben Biewen (Sr., Edina, Minn.) converted a steal into points with a fast break layup to break the seal on the basket.  Steals on the next two possessions led to four more unanswered points for the Gusties, capped off by a two-handed dunk by Brian Jacobs (So., Lake Crystal, Minn.).  From there, Gustavus would lead by as many as eight points before taking a six-point lead into halftime with a score of 34-28.

After giving up the first basket of the second half, the Gusties rattled off a 13-4 run that extended the Gustavus lead to 13 points by the score of 47-34.  The Gustie men went on to outscore the Scots 25-11 over the last 10 minutes of play and would lead by as many as 27 points before settling in for the 25-point victory.

Gustavus shot 55.2-percent (32-58) from the floor and 45.5-percent (5-11) from three-point range compared to a 41.5-percent (17-41) mark from the field and 40-percent (6-15) from behind the arc.  The Gusties also forced 20 Scot turnovers compared to just seven of their own.  In turn, Gustavus capitalized on those turnovers as they held a 30-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

Blake Shay (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.) led the Gusties in scoring for the third straight game.  The senior came off the bench to score 16 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field.  He also ripped down six rebounds and dished out three assists.  Ben Biewen and Jim Hill (Sr., Edina, Minn.) came next with 14 points each.  Biewen made 5-of-8 field goals and also tallied four assists, three rebounds, and three steals while Hill went 7-for-10 from the field.

Macalester was led by Dylan Kilgour and Justin Wasik with 11 points each.

The Gusties will be back in action again on Wednesday night when they host MIAC league-leading St. Thomas at Gus Young Court.  Opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

Box Score

St. Peter, Minn. - The Gustavus Adophus men’s basketball team will look for its third consecutive win on Monday night when it travels to St. Paul for a showdown with Macalester.  The Gusties are coming off wins over Saint Mary’s (82-43) and Hamline (86-61), and post a record of 11-9 (9-7 MIAC).  Meanwhile, the Scots enter tonight’s contest after losing their last eight games and bring a record of 4-16 (1-14 MIAC) to the table.

Follow all of the action from tonight’s game with live video and live stats produced by the Macalester Sports Information department.

Freshman Chad Poppen came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points in the win.

St. Paul, Minn. - The Gustavus men’s basketball team built a 27-point halftime lead and did not look back on its way to an 86-61 victory over Hamline Saturday afternoon at Hutton Arena.  Six Gusties scored in double-figures on the day, led by Blake Shay (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.) with 18 points off the bench.  With the win, Gustavus climbs to 11-9 (9-7 MIAC) on the season while Hamline falls to 8-12 (5-11 MIAC).

After four ties in the first 8:51 of play, Jordan Dick (Jr., Wabasha, Minn.) knocked down a three-pointer at the 11:09 mark that sparked a 24-1 run for Gustavus to take a 23-point lead midway through the first half.  Eight different Gusties scored in the surge, which was capped off by back-to-back treys from Chad Poppen (Fr., St. Peter, Minn.).  Poppen nailed another triple in the final seconds of the opening half to open up Gustavus’ largest lead of the game with a 27 point halftime advantage (47-20).

Gustavus shot 57.7-percent (15-26) from the floor compared to 31.8-percent (7-22) for Hamline in the first 20 minutes. The Gusties also held the advantage in the turnover category.  Gustavus turned the ball over nine times in the half contrasted to 18 giveaways for Hamline.  The Gustie men also held a 23-8 advantage in points off turnovers .

A tightly-contested second half saw the Pipers outscore the Gusties 41-39, but it was too little to late for Hamline as the damage was already done.  Gustavus led by 30 points (50-20) before the Pipers were able to cut the lead to 16 points (59-43).  From there, the Gusties retrieved control and cruised to the 25-point victory.

For the game, Gustavus shot 56-percent (28-50) from the field compared to 43.6-percent (24-55) for Hamline.  The Gusties also held the turnover advantage of 23-17.  The 23 Piper turnovers led to 30 points for the Black and Gold.  However, the Gusties were outscored in the paint by a count of 44-24, including a 34-14 mark in the second half.

Six Gustavus players finished in double-figure scoring, led by Blake Shay off the bench with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the floor including a pair from deep.  Shay also added five rebounds and five assists.  Jim Hill (Sr., Edina, Minn.) came next with 17 points.  Although shooting just 4-for-10 from the field, Hill made good on 8-of-9 free throws and also added four assists.  Ben Biewen (Sr., Edina, Minn.) scored 12 points on the afternoon, eight of which came from the charity stripe, and added six assists.  Jordan Dick, Reed Sallstrom (Sr., Winthrop, Minn.) and Chad Poppen all scored 10 points on the day.

The Gusties will be back in action Monday, Feb. 4th when they travel to St. Paul to face Macalester.  Opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

Box Score